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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. last — finally
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. tube — the underground
  12. last — final
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. last — to go on
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. tube — a container
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com